The meeting highlighted the breadth of paediatric surgical research taking place across Oxford, encompassing neonatal surgery, basic science, global surgery, outcomes research, and quality improvement. The department’s strong presence reflected its continued commitment to advancing surgical science through innovation, collaboration, and clinical excellence.
Award-winning research and national recognition
Several researchers from the University and department presented their research at the conference and won prizes for their presentations.
Dr Hana Abebe Gebreselassie, a previous AfOx Visiting Scholar (2024) and incoming DPhil student in the Oxford University Global Surgery Group, presented research undertaken during her fellowship that relates to a neonatal screening tool she developed for detecting congenital malformations in newborns in Ethiopian hospitals.
Dr Naomi Wright contributed presentations on national variation in suction rectal biopsy practice, chaired the Global Scientific Papers session, delivering an invited presentation on the Oxford Global Surgery Course at the Global Paediatric Surgery Symposium, and presented additional clinical work spanning case reports and trainee research.
 |
Mina Purdon (pictured above on the left), who is a medical student, read her paper in the scientific session of NEC 'Outcomes of surgical NEC versus SIP: A 5-year single-centre review'. She was supervised by Dr David Fawkner-Corbett (pictured above on the right) and Professor Kokila Lakhoo.
Dr Dennis Mazingi presented part of his doctoral and postdoctoral work developing a paediatric trauma registry for childhood injuries on the African continent, as well as qualitative work charting the journey that injured children must take to access care for injuries in Zimbabwe.
Dr Pierro Alberti, a long-time member of the Oxford University Global Surgery Group, presented a multicentre prospective study charting resource availability and mortality from congenital anomalies at 246 hospitals in low-, middle-, and high-income countries during the prize session. This was a study by the Global PaedSurg Research Collaboration.
Mr Benjamin Allin was awarded the President's Prize for the best clinical paper for his presentation on the Children's Surgery Outcome Reporting (CSOR) programme. His work demonstrated how national clinical outcome data can be used to support quality improvement across paediatric surgical services and highlighted the recent expansion of the CSOR programme following major national investment.
Dr David Fawkner-Corbett received the Peter Paul Rickham Prize for the best scientific paper for his presentation entitled 'Charting the epigenetic drivers of infant intestinal development: a single-cell roadmap for paediatric surgical disease'. His research provides unprecedented insight into infant intestinal development and the mechanisms protecting the neonatal intestine during early life.
The meeting also recognised Dr Dennis Mazingi, who delivered the Hugh Greenwood Global Lecture, one of BAPS' flagship invited lectures. In his keynote address, 'Childhood injury prevention and care in LMICs', he challenged paediatric surgeons to look beyond the operating theatre and embrace their role as leaders in injury prevention. Drawing on global evidence and his experiences from research programmes across the world, the lecture highlighted how paediatric surgeons are uniquely positioned to advocate for safer environments, stronger health systems, and policies that prevent childhood injuries before they occur.
Finally, Professor Kokila Lakhoo, Professor of Paediatric Surgery and Head of the Oxford University Global Surgery Group, was awarded the prestigious Denis Browne Gold Medal, the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons' highest honour, in recognition of her lifetime of outstanding contributions to paediatric surgery, surgical education and global child health in the UK and around the world. The medal was presented by Mr Desmond Browne QC in the presence of Professor Lakhoo's family and members of the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons.
Looking ahead
The breadth of Oxford's contributions at BAPS 2026 reflects the strength of its paediatric surgical research community, with consultants, trainees, students, and early-career researchers contributing across basic science, clinical research, quality improvement, and global surgery. From invited keynote lectures and national awards to scientific presentations and international collaborations, the meeting showcased Oxford's continued leadership in advancing paediatric surgical research and improving the care of children both in the UK and around the world.